ARUSHA, Tanzania, (Xinhua) -- Tanzania’s semi-autonomous Zanzibar is
facing a shortage of petroleum fuel, the situation that led to
long queues in the few filling stations, authorities said on
Thursday.

Haji Kali, Director
General of the Zanzibar Utilities Regulatory Authority,
acknowledged the situation, revealing that the island has a
stock of 529,636 liters which are only enough for three days.

Kali said the
government was making efforts to import more petroleum to change
the situation before things get worse.

“We’re working hard
and I ask the motorists and the general public to remain calm
when we’re working hard to normalize the situation,” he said in
an interview with Xinhua.

According to him,
last week over 880 tonnes of petroleum products were imported,
but they were not allowed to enter the marker over quality
issues.

He said that the
products were found with a high amount of water at 2.5 percent,
which is higher than the acceptable standard of 0.02 percent.

Petroleum was being
provided in very few filling stations in Zanzibar by Thursday,
leading to massive inconvenience and disruption in social and
economic activities.

Ali Makame, a public
vehicle driver, said the business was affected massively due to
the shortage of petroleum in the petrol stations.

“We are making huge
losses as we spend most of the day waiting in the queue instead
driving passengers to their destinations,” Makame said.

Zanzibar requires 10
million liters of fuel monthly on average, which includes
kerosene, petrol, diesel, and aviation fuel.